Gauthier out, search begins for Habs' next GM

Postmedia News03.29.2012

"Just qualifying for the playoffs cannot be our goal or our standard. Not for this team, not for this organization," Montreal Canadiens owner and president Geoff Molson said at Thursday's news conference.Peter McCabe
/ The Gazette

Pierre Gauthier speaks at a news conference in Montreal on Feb. 8, 2010, after he was appointed general manger of the Canadiens.Pierre Obendrauf
/ THE GAZETTE

MONTREAL — Pierre Gauthier is no longer general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, and Bob Gainey is no longer a special adviser to the club.

Geoff Molson, the club’s owner, president and CEO, announced at a news conference Thursday morning at the team’s practice facility in Brossard, Que., that Gauthier has been relieved of his duties immediately. By mutual agreement with Molson, Gainey has left his post as special adviser to the general manager.

But Molson, who said he grew up as a huge fan of Gainey, stressed that the Hall of Famer and former Habs captain will forever be part of the Canadiens’ family. Hall of Fame defenceman Serge Savard, the general manager for the Canadiens’ last two Stanley Cup championships, in 1986 and 1993, has been brought in by Molson as an adviser in the search for a new GM.

Molson said that until a decision has been made, the process of hiring a new GM and the list of candidates will remain confidential.

The Canadiens sit in 28th place out of 30 teams in the overall NHL standings with a 29-34-14 record and were officially eliminated from the playoffs last Saturday. They have five games remaining in the regular season, starting Friday in New York against the Rangers.

“We felt that the direction of the club needed to change from a hockey standpoint,” Molson said. “Our priorities as an organization moving forward are as follows: to improve our team at every level, to re-establish a winning culture for the long term, to give our fans what they deserve — the best possible product on the ice and establish stability in all areas of our organization.

“Just qualifying for the playoffs cannot be our goal or our standard,” he added. “Not for this team, not for this organization. This organization going forward must set its sights on competing for the game’s ultimate prize every season, and no lesser standard should be accepted. Our fans and our tradition demand nothing less than this.”

Gauthier joined the Canadiens as director of pro scouting in 2003 and was considered the right-hand man to GM Gainey. Gauthier took over as GM after Gainey stepped down in February 2010, but Gainey remained as an adviser.

Molson said there was no deadline to name a successor and was non-commital on whether the next GM would be francophone. He said it’s the team’s preference that the next GM be able to speak French, but that the key attribute of whoever is named GM would be “an undying desire to win at any cost.”

Names being floated about include TSN analyst Pierre McGuire, former Canadiens captain Vincent Damphousse, Tampa Bay Lightning assistant GM Julien BriseBois and former goaltending great Patrick Roy, who won two Stanley Cups with Montreal, but was traded to Colorado amid controversy in 1995.

The Canadiens got off to a poor start this season, which led to the firings of first assistant coach Perry Pearn and then head coach Jacques Martin.

“It goes without saying that we’re all very disappointed with our performance this season,” Molson said. “Everyone in this organization, including our players, expected better. We play in the best hockey market in the world and we have the best fans in hockey. Our fans care deeply about our team and want nothing more than a winning team, one that follows in the tradition of our storied past.

“This season did not deliver on those expectations. Our fans can trust that ownership will accept nothing less than a winning culture in this organization. This season our team was decimated by serious injuries and, while this in and of itself is not an excuse, we take pride in knowing that our players have the character to show up every night regardless of the lineup. We managed to be competitive almost every night.”

Montreal Gazette

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